This past March, I was elected to serve as the president of the Government of the Student Body. In the month leading up to the election, I spoke to many student groups about GSB and my ideas of how I could serve and represent students. One fact I learned during this campaign was that students had little knowledge about the organization, but students truly could identify with many of the issues that the GSB deals with every year.  

Our campaign idea to improve and engage students in our issues was to utilize the students’ main campus resource, the Iowa State Daily. This fall, I plan to write a series of columns about the main issues students are facing and the GSB is addressing. The ultimate goal of this is to open discussion, gain feedback and improve our efforts. First though, I would like to inform students about GSB’s main functions and responsibilities.  

The GSB is modeled after America’s federal government, with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. Each branch has different responsibilities, but the basic mission is all the same: strengthen students’ voices and enhance students’ experiences at Iowa State through active representation, engagement and support. 

One of the functions of the organization is to represent students’ thoughts, feelings and situations to the ISU administration, the city of Ames and the state of Iowa. It would be difficult for all these people to listen to 26,000 different opinions, so GSB is charged with the task of acting as a special interest organization, representing students on pertinent issues. One of the most important matters that students deal with every year is a lofty debt load. GSB and its affiliated organization, ISU Ambassadors, lobby for increased state funding, which minimizes tuition increases.  

Students also have influence through appointments on university and city committees that range from the University Library Committee to the Student Health Center Committee to the Parks and Recreation Commission.  

The next responsibility of GSB is the allocation of approximately 1.5 million dollars to campus services and student organizations. Each semester, students pay about $30 in fees that go toward this allocation. This funding takes place through “regular allocations” in the spring, “special allocations” in the fall, or through Senate-sponsored legislation. Examples of services that benefit from students’ funding include the Iowa State Daily, fare-free CyRide and recreation services.  

Finally, the organization provides students with a chance to become involved with campus events, projects and leadership roles. Free lectures, GSB tailgate and Meet Your Government Day are opportunities that students have to get involved. The biggest opportunity for students to develop their leadership is through actually getting involved.  

GSB has many opportunities throughout the year, in different capacities, whether it be Senate, Cabinet, committees or other appointments. One doesn’t need to be future politician to get involved, but just to have the desire to make a difference.  

GSB will be putting forth strong efforts throughout the next year to help students, and we hope this leads to plenty of feedback. If you have ideas or changes that you would like to see made, contact your representative or me at www.gsb.iastate.edu.  

Remember, we’re working for you!

— Daniel Fischer is a senior in agricultural business from Neola. He is the president of the Government of the Student Body.